Cartridge-feeding belt for machine-guns.



CARTR l D G E F E E D N G B E L T F 0R "wel" Iii! fjii 'il .mi lILM I l wr NNNNNNNNNN S.

.I CCCC Zo TE STATES AEN OFFICE.

JULES GILBERT CHARLES QURON AND J'OANNS COURBON, 0F ST.ETIENNE, FRANCE.

CARTRIDGE-FEEDING BELT FOR MACHINE-GUNS.

Application filed June 7, 1918.

CHARLES QUnoN and JonNNs COURBON,

both of 55, 57, 59 Rue Boulevard Valbenote, St.-I*ltienne, Loire, France, manufacturers, have invented Improvements in Cartridge- Feeding Belts for Machine-Guns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

It is known that the cartridges intended for use in machine guns are carried by flexible or rigid belts which are inserted in a channel at right angles to the barrel of the The cartridges are engaged in clips or claws carried by the belt, and they are generally brought opposite an extractor by means of claws, while jointed tappets maintain the cartridge which is ready to be introduced into the cartridge chamber of the machine gun, in place immediately behind the cartridge that is to be extracted.

In those circumstances it is absolutely necessary that the clips or claws in which the cartridges are engaged, shall have a strictly determined location, that is to say, the distance between two cartridges must always be the same. If this condition is not satisfied, the gun is liable to get jammed very quickly.

Metal belts, by reason of their practically m'l elongation, can receive strictly equidistant clips or claws. This is however not the case with flexible belts that are composed of two thicknesses of fabric connected together by stitching or binding. With such belts the least error in the weaving entails a faulty location of the clips. Moreover', the material of the belt may be caused by certain atmospheric or other conditions to move the clips nearer to or farther away from one another, to an extent which although slight, is not the less injurious in its effect upon the efcient working of the gun.

The present invention has for its object to provide an improved fiexible belt for machine gun cartridges, wherein the drawbacks of the ordinary flexible belts are obviated.

The improved belt is characterized essentially by the feature that it is composed of a slightly elastic fabric in which the warp threads are constituted by rubber threads.

Owing to this elasticity of the improved belt, any slight faults of manufacture are compensated, because the improved belt is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1918.

serial No. 238,680.

capable of stretching to a slight extent between two successive cartridges, so that the driving claws can always engage to their full depth whereby vthe cartridges are able to assume a position that is always convenient for extraction from the belt.

On the other hand the elasticity of the fabric assures the correct fixing of the cartridges on the belt, and prevents them from rocking to a greater or less extent which is injurious to the efficient operation of the driving claws. Y

The improved flexible belt is made in the same way as the usual flexible belts, that is to say, of two thicknesses of elastic fabric connected together by stitching or bindings that separate the lodgments for the cartridges.

By reason of this method of manufacture the two thicknesses of fabric are applied closely against each other, and this would render it a diflicult matter to space the clips exactly in the absence of any mark indicating the location of the said clips.

In the improved flexible belt the exact location of the stitchings that connect the two thicknesses of' fabric together, is marked by colored threads inserted in the weaving.

The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example a flexible belt for machine gun cartridges, constructed in accordance with this invention.

In these drawings:

Figure l is a face view of a portion of the improved flexible belt; and

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same.

As shown, the improved flexible belt for machine gun cartridges is composed of two thicknesses a and Z) of slightly elastic fabric connected together by stitchings or bindings a at suitable distances apart.

The exact location of said stitchings or bindings is indicated by colored threads arranged in transverse lines c on one of the two faces of the belt or on both of said faces.

These colored threads are inserted auto matically in the weaving of the belt so that the location of the lines c is always absolutely exact.

As shown, each clip d is separated from the adjacent clips by two parallel stitchings or bindings whose location is indicated on the outside of the belt by the lines c constituted by colored threads. These lines thus render it extremely easy to determine exactly the location'of the d Wlren filling the belt with the cartridges e.' Y

Having now described our invention What We claim as `n`ewand desire toscciire'by Let- 5 ters Patent is :-V

1. A flexible beltV for lmachine ygun cartridges, composed of a slightly elastic fabric, whereby :anynneqnalspacing of the Vcartridge clips is compensated, and the carlO tridges are held correctly in place in the belt. Y i Y 2. VInV aifleX'i-bl'e belt for machine gun cartridges, the combination of two thicknesses of elastic fabric whereof the Warpfthreads l5 consist of rubber threads, stitchings or bindings connecting,4 said tWol thicknesses of fabric together, whereby cli-ps are formedfor holding the cartridges, and 'means Vfor, indi- Y eating ,the exactV location of saidcli-ps inthe 2Q belt.

In a, vfleirilile belt'ifor machine ,gun car-` Y trid'ges, the combinationfof two lthicknesses ings connecting :said 'two thicknesses =of 25 fabric together, whereby clips are formed for holding fthe cartridges, and coloredV threads inserted in the Weaving, relatively to the 'said stitchings or bindings, :in onewor both lfaces ofthe belt, lwhereby the exact lo- 30 cation of said clips can be determined by inspection. v. v The foregoing ,specification `of our V'improvements in cartridge feeding belts forv machine guns,signedfbyus this ll-th'rlday of 35 May,v1f918. Y Y Y JULES lGrimani )CHARLES QURQN. IJOANNSCOURBON. Y

Witnesses: Y

Lows Bomen ALBERTVCRESTIN.

Copies ofY this patent may -be -obtained'for ire centseachby addressing "che "onimissioner of Paitents,

`Washingtoix, D. CI 

